Changes in coral reef communities across a natural gradient in seawater pH.
Changes in coral reef communities across a natural gradient in seawater pH.
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DOI：
10.1126/sciadv.1500328
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发表时间：
2015-06
期刊：
影响因子：
13.6
通讯作者：
Shamberger KE
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Barkley HC;Cohen AL;Golbuu Y;Starczak VR;DeCarlo TM;Shamberger KE
珊瑚礁群落的反应各不相同，但在自然海洋酸化下，生物侵蚀增加。海洋酸化威胁着全球珊瑚礁生态系统的生存。在许多实验室实验中观察到的海洋酸化的负面影响，在对自然低pH值珊瑚礁的研究中也看到了，但迄今为止几乎没有适应的证据。最近，我们报告的初步数据表明，低pH值的珊瑚群落的帕劳岩石群岛出现健康，尽管他们生活在极端的条件。在这里，我们建立在这一观察的基础上，对整个帕劳的自然酸化梯度的底栖生物群落进行了全面的统计分析。我们的分析显示，珊瑚群落组成的变化，但没有影响的酸化对珊瑚丰富度，珊瑚藻丰度，大型藻类覆盖，珊瑚钙化，或骨骼密度。然而，珊瑚生物侵蚀增加了11倍，从堡礁到岩石岛海湾的pH值下降。事实上，对迄今所研究的自然低pH值珊瑚礁系统的比较表明，生物侵蚀增加是其中唯一一致的特征，因为生态系统健康的其他指数的反应各不相同。我们的研究结果意味着，而社区的反应可能会有所不同，升级的珊瑚礁生物侵蚀和加速从净吸积净侵蚀珊瑚礁结构的转变可能是海洋酸化的全球签名。
Coral reef community responses vary but bioerosion increases under natural ocean acidification. Ocean acidification threatens the survival of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. The negative effects of ocean acidification observed in many laboratory experiments have been seen in studies of naturally low-pH reefs, with little evidence to date for adaptation. Recently, we reported initial data suggesting that low-pH coral communities of the Palau Rock Islands appear healthy despite the extreme conditions in which they live. Here, we build on that observation with a comprehensive statistical analysis of benthic communities across Palau’s natural acidification gradient. Our analysis revealed a shift in coral community composition but no impact of acidification on coral richness, coralline algae abundance, macroalgae cover, coral calcification, or skeletal density. However, coral bioerosion increased 11-fold as pH decreased from the barrier reefs to the Rock Island bays. Indeed, a comparison of the naturally low-pH coral reef systems studied so far revealed increased bioerosion to be the only consistent feature among them, as responses varied across other indices of ecosystem health. Our results imply that whereas community responses may vary, escalation of coral reef bioerosion and acceleration of a shift from net accreting to net eroding reef structures will likely be a global signature of ocean acidification.